Water supply systems frequently require testing and purging to comply with local ordinances, operational requirements or safety codes. A perfect example is testing of fire hydrants. Regular testing and purging is required. Fire pumps installed in buildings for fire protection systems also require annual flow testing to meet with fire and safety code requirements.
To test a typical system, temporary hoses are attached to an available connection and the water is released. A playpipe or flow diverter is connected to the end of the hose to allow flow measurements at the exiting water stream. A measurement device, typically a Pitot tube, determines the flow of exiting water. The water is often discharged in the immediate vicinity of the building wall or hydrant. When water under high pressure is released to atmospheric pressure, considerable forces are in play on the discharge stream. Typically the playpipe or flow diverter needs to be restrained during testing. Care must be exercised with regard to where the water is discharged. Damage to the ground, surrounding landscaping, and harm to individuals in the path of the water can occur due to a misdirected water stream.
Fire pump capacities have increased over the years. Up to 12 flow streams may now be required to test a given fire sprinkler system. Stackable flow diverters are now needed to allow better management of the exiting flow streams.
Some tests are performed on building roofs where the device needs to be manually carried up stairs. The portability of the flow diverter is of concern to the operator that has to carry the device. Rooftop tests are seldom available with suitable anchoring positions.
As safety codes and standards have improved over the years, accuracy in testing is of an increasing importance. Accuracy of many current flow diverters has been sacrificed to accommodate for other features. Many currently employ a restricted-position Pitot tube feature which does not allow movement of the Pitot tap location once in use, which is accurate only if the discharge follows a perfect velocity profile. Flow streams however, seldom follow perfect velocity profiles. A fixed position Pitot tube device is never as accurate as an unrestricted access system allowing a qualified operator to seek the most representative velocity pressure reading to determine the flow. Accordingly, a device that provides unrestricted access to the flow stream for an operator will provide for more accurate results.
The difficulty of providing unrestricted access is that water back splash is difficult to control. The difficulty increases as the size of the device reduces. Needless to say, an unrestricted access flow diverter must allow the operator access without getting him wet in the process. The device should prevent any back splash of the fluid in the area where access is required.
Dechlorination is sometimes required by local authorities to remove the affects of chlorine dissolved in the water. An method of treating the water would be beneficial.
Accordingly, a need exits to provide a small, stackable, accessible, portable flow diverter that will dissipate the energy contained in fluid systems to allow for a safe discharge of the flow on any surface without requiring restraints while allowing an operator to obtain an undisturbed access for the highest accuracy flow measurement readings while not getting wet and provide for optional dechlorination. of the water stream.
It would be desirable, therefore, if an apparatus and method for a flow diverter could be provided that would provide accurate testing of high-pressure fluid systems and dissipate the energy produced by a flow stream so as to eliminate the need for anchoring. It would also be desirable if such a flow diverter would provide unrestricted access to a flow stream so as to allow the highest accuracy of flow measurements when using a hand held Pitot tube during the test. It would be further desirable if such a flow diverter would be adapted to minimize damage to the physical grounds and harm to persons in the area surrounding the device resulting from the discharged flow stream. It would be still further desirable if such a flow diverter would be a light-weight device adapted to be easily transported and stored. It would also be desirable if such a flow diverter could be provided that would be adapted to enable the dechlorination of an exiting flow stream. It would be further desirable if such a flow diverter could be provided that would be adapted to minimize back splash so as to allow the operator to take readings without getting wet. It would be still further desirable to provide a flow diverter that has an integrated, stackable design adapted to allow a plurality of units to be placed in a minimum of available space.